Going into March, the University of Wisconsin Badgers comfortably sit at No. 19 in NCAA rankings (11-16-3, 6-13-1). Starting the season the Badgers beat the Omaha Mavericks 3-2 in overtime. Senior Daniel Laatsch shot the first goal of the season, with junior Tyson Dyck and sophomore Quinn Finley getting the next two.
The team’s next win was Nov. 2 against unranked Notre Dame, winning 2-1. The Badgers star shooters for the night were junior Simon Tassy and graduate student Owen Lindmark, both shooting a goal for the match.
The next few games were substandard for the Badgers, failing to beat No. 3 University of Minnesota in a border battle at the Alliant Energy Center. The first match Nov. 8 went to the Gophers in a 3-2 win, where Junior Kyle Kukkonen and Finley slid two shots in.
Freshman Gavin Morrissey sent the puck to Finley, giving him his sixth goal of the season, leading the team in goals scored. With the assist from graduate student defenseman Anthony Kehrer, Kukkonen shot from the middle for Wisconsin’s second goal of the night.
Wisconsin couldn’t keep up the momentum, though, as Minnesota won with the one-goal advantage.
The next day, the teams faced off again, ending the third period 2-2. Graduate student Ryland Mosley shot the first goal of the night in the second period, with Finley quickly doubling it.
In the third period, the Gophers got their second goal tying the game. A Minnesota forward shot the final goal of the night in overtime, ending the game 3-2.
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The following weekend the Badgers made their way to play unranked Penn State University for the first time of the season. The Badgers powered over the previously No. 18 Nittany Lions sweeping them at home. The first matchup on Nov. 15 went to the Badgers winning in OT.
Mosely redirecting a shot from Finley put the Badgers on the board in the first period. This was followed by two more goals to put the Badgers on top at 3-1 going into the third period. The Badgers finished off the weekend going 2-0 against the Nittany Lions, completing a sweep at University Park.
The Badgers fell short of a home series win against Penn State. Despite scoring two goals over the weekend, they could not match Penn State’s eight. Penn State came out strong on Friday handing the Badgers their first loss of the weekend, adding to their two-game losing streak.
Game 1: Wisconsin 0, Penn State 2
The one thing that carried the Badgers on Friday night was the student section. Though the team’s effort was present, the student section led the energy.
Penn State came out strong in the first period, scoring a goal in the third minute. Penn State sophomore Reese Lauback scored with the assist by Aidan Fink and Tyler Paquette. Ultimately, the Badgers could not keep up with the pace of Penn State.
Senior goalkeeper, Tommy Scarfone, faced the heat of Penn State’s offense on Friday. Facing 25 shots, and blocking all but one. The Penn State junior goalkeeper, Arsenii Sergeev, managed to keep the net clear of any Badger shots, with the help of the Nittany Lions’ tight-knit defense.
The game ended on an open net goal by Penn State, with a one-man advantage, the Badgers still could not fight for the win. The Nittany Lions end on top, beating the Badger 2-0.
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Game 2: Wisconsin 2, Penn State 6
The Badgers brought the heat to game two but were once again unable to compete with Penn State.
Wisconsin started the game on the right foot, winning the opening faceoff to have the first possession of the puck. This was closely followed by a first-period powerplay goal by Kukkonen assisted by Dyck and freshman Logan Hensler. Penn State quickly followed with three more goals to set the score to 3-1
The Badger still had some fight left, as a powerplay turned to a scoring opportunity. Mosley scored the final Badger goal of the evening with assist an from Morrisey and a goalie assist from Scarfone.
Penn State finished the game towering over the Badgers, scoring three more goals in the final 10 minutes of play in the third period. Penn State finished with the power, beating the Badgers 6-2.